


It Started Out With a Kiss, How Did It End Up Like This?

by AngelWilliams



Category: Game Grumps
Genre: Alternate Universe - High School, Boners, Confused Gay Feelings, Crushes, Dreams, Egobang - Freeform, Fantasizing, Feels, First Kiss, Grinding, Kissing, M/M, Making Out, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, Pining, Practice Kissing, im quietly happy i get to use that tag again, rubberdoop, rubberdoop is going to be more of a side thing though
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2016-04-16
Updated: 2016-04-27
Packaged: 2018-06-02 12:24:59
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 3
Words: 7,917
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/6566104
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/AngelWilliams/pseuds/AngelWilliams
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It began innocently enough, Dan just being Dan and helping a friend out, but it didn't stay that way for long. Nothing can ever be <em>that</em> simple, can it?</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. It Was Only a Kiss (Except It Wasn't Really)

**Author's Note:**

> Man, I'm way too passionate about high school AUs, especially with these dorks.
> 
> Title is from Mr. Brightside by The Killers, even though the fic isn't really based around it or anything. It just seemed fitting.

_Kissing_.

The topic comes up randomly one day while Arin is over at Dan's house on a Wednesday night. They're supposed to be studying, they have a big test the following day, but anyone who even remotely knows either boy would know that that just wasn't gonna happen.

The two are at least trying though, textbooks and papers spread across Dan's bed haphazardly. Dan is on said bed, large book open in front of him as he lays on his stomach near the edge of the bed facing Arin, who is sprawled out on the floor.

Dan's in the middle of attempting to decipher a particularly annoying formula they had just learned in Math class— _fuck Math_ , he thought irritatedly—when he hears Arin speak up for the first time in at least ten minutes. That probably doesn't seem like a very long time, but Arin usually had a lot to say in any situation they were in, so it felt like an eternity to Dan.

"Dan, can I ask you something?"

Dan lifts his head up, gaze flickering to Arin's face as he raises an eyebrow. That was...weirdly formal. Especially coming from Arin. "Yeah. What's up?"

"You've kissed a lot of people, right?"

"Uhh...yeah? I... _guess_ you can say that," Dan says, shrugging slightly. "I've had a couple girlfriends, and yeah, we kissed. Why?"

"How...how do you kiss someone?" Arin asks, sounding far too innocent for the dude who's main hobby was to take things way too far in casual conversations. Dan can recall plenty of times Arin had called him late at night, tired and completely out of it, leaving messages about how much he needed Dan inside his asshole. And that was only the tip of the iceberg when it came to Arin.

_That_ person is asking how to kiss?

Dan is annoyed at the way part of him finds it cute.

"Well I mean..." Dan sits up, looking off into the distance for a moment as he tries to think of a way to actually word it properly. When he can't think of a good one, he just sighs exasperatedly. "You just kinda...do it. Press your mouth against another person's and stuff happens."

Arin's face is blank as he looks up at Dan. "Daniel, that is probably the least helpful thing you have ever said in all the years we've been friends."

"Hey, it is not!" Dan crosses his arms with a slight pout. "Well, _fine_ then, Mr. Smooch Expert, if you don't want my help—"

Arin shakes his head, laughing. "No, no dude. Trust me, I want your help. I just want you to know, that sentence helped me in no way whatsoever."

"Thanks. Totally appreciate it, Arin," Dan deadpans. "But anyway like...I'm being serious here. I'm not trying to be a dick and not give you a straight answer...it's just that kissing is one of those things that can't really be explained. You press your lips against someone else's and move them together." He lifts his hands to about face level, pressing the tips of his index fingers together as if that would somehow help Arin understand kissing.

Shockingly enough, it doesn't.

"And like...tongue is a thing you can use, but I mean you don't have to in every kiss— _wow_ this feels dumb because you probably already know this—but yeah. Sure, there are wrong ways to kiss, but there aren't really _right_ ways. It's different for everyone, so you just kind of...do it, suck at it, do it more, and then suck slightly less each time you do."

"This is... _not_ helping," Arin sighs, leaning on his hand as he closes his notebook.

"Why do you even care so much?" Dan asks, curious at his friend's reasoning. This isn't usually the type of thing that comes up casually. Arin had to be thinking about something for this to come up. At least, Dan thinks so.

"I...I don't know, it's probably an important thing to know, you know?" Arin flails his hands as he tries to explain himself.

Dan somehow feels like there's more to the story, like that isn't the actual reason behind Arin asking, but he doesn't push it any further. "I'm sorry, Ar, I wish I could say more but I'm not exactly an expert on this either. Why don't you just like, I don't fucking know, Google it or something, the Internet can probably explain kissing better than m—"

"Couldn't we just like...I don't know, practice a bit?" Arin interrupts Dan, asking the question a little too casually. "I can have how it works explained to me a million fucking times, but I won't actually _get_ it unless I get some hands on experience, you know?"

"Prac...tice," Dan parrots the word slowly, trying to figure out exactly what Arin means by it because there's no way he means what Dan thinks he means. "What do you mean by that?"

"What do you think I mean, Dan? Bring those fuckin' sweet, sexy lips of yours over here and put them on mine so I can learn how to kiss. Simple."

"Arin, fucking— oh my god," Dan sputters as he covers his mouth, his skinny frame shaking as giggles and snorts erupt from him. "I can't— I can't even believe you."

"Can't believe me? What the fuck, why not?" Arin appears shocked, though his lips are twitching upward, clearly wanting to grin. "It's just two bros, makin' out...what's so weird about that?"

"I...for the record, I am _not_ saying that it's weird, I'm just saying that it's super gay."

"No it's not!" Arin argues, seeming way too passionate about the situation than he should be. "It's not gay if it's for practice! God, I'm starting to think _someone_ didn't read the Bro Code."

"Since when was _that_  stupid ass rule in the Bro Code?!" Dan questions, tone skeptical as he closes his eyes and pinches the bridge of his nose. "You know what, that's not important. Are you...serious about this?"

"Of fucking course I am," Arin says, puckering his lips exaggeratedly and making kissy noises. "I'm still waiting."

"Jesus, Arin," Dan mutters, shaking his head with a grin. Arin is ridiculous sometimes, that's an indisputable fact, but the most ridiculous part about all of this is probably the fact that Dan's actually starting to consider this.

After a moment of just kind of looking down at Arin, unsure of what exactly to do or say, he picks up the book that's in front of him and sets it aside, sitting up properly and patting the now empty space on the bed in front of him. "Come up here."

Arin blinks, eyebrows raising. He doesn't move immediately; he probably didn't expect Dan to actually agree to this just as much as Dan himself hadn't. Sure, they joked a lot, but this somehow felt like taking things a step further. It felt more _real_ than their usually gay banter.

However, just as Dan's about to open his mouth and question him, or maybe somehow play the action off as just a joke, Arin obeys, getting up off of the floor and stretching slightly before sitting on his knees in front of Dan. "Okay, now what?"

Dan swallows thickly, mouth suddenly feeling dry. "Well, we're gonna kiss so you can get the gist of how this works, and then we can get back to fucking studying because we're both going to fail if we don't, and it's not like we have all night."

"You're no fun." Dan can't help but smile at Arin's playful words; it's damn near impossible to be completely serious around Arin.

"Shut up, Arin." Dan doesn't do anything at first, studying Arin's face for any sign of hesitation now that he's up close, which, in a way, is kind of stupid since _Arin_ was the one who initiated this, after all. The one who wanted this to happen. As expected, he doesn't find any. Arin is dead set on this.

There's an awkward silence hanging in the air, a weird and foreign sensation both of them can feel but just aren't used to, neither boy making a sound or moving because even though they both know what's supposed to happen, what's _going_ to happen, it _doesn't actually_ happen. Though Dan didn't see any hesitation or worry in Arin's brown eyes, it's clear that he is actually, physically hesitating, which makes  _absolutely no fucking sense whatsoever_. Dan's hesitating, too, just like Arin. But, unlike Arin, that's because he's actually pretty uncertain about all of this.

At this point, they're just wasting time. Time they can't afford to be wasting.

Finally, after what feels like forever, Arin groans, the sound slicing through the thick silence. "Dan, are you actually—"

Before his mind can catch up, before it can give him about a million reasons why this is wrong and it shouldn't be fucking happening, _friends don't do this_ , Dan's hand is on the nape of Arin's neck, warm and solid, and it's pulling Arin's face closer to him so he can finally bring their lips together.

_It's soft. Arin's lips are soft_. That's the first real thought Dan's mind can even begin to process as their lips slide together. He can feel the slight intake of breath from Arin, he's clearly fumbling, nervous and inexperienced as he sloppily tries to mirror what Dan's lips are doing, the movements he's making, but Dan can't bring himself to actually mind. After all, it's Arin. This is _Arin_ he's kissing, and for some reason Dan just doesn't know, he can only bring himself to find it endearing. Trying to figure out the reason behind that is proving to be even more difficult than figuring out those stupid formulas he was reading about mere minutes before, so he decides to stop thinking about it.

For now, at least. He can figure it out later. When he wasn't kissing Arin, when he could actually focus on anything besides _Arin_.

Arin's gripping the front of Dan's old Rush shirt tightly, the fabric twisted and taut under his worrying hands. It's probably going to be stretched to all hell once this is over, and it's such a shame, that has always been one of Dan's favorite shirts, but once again Dan is too occupied to really care.

The pace of the kiss is slow, soft, gentle, and part of Dan is actually afraid of how much he _likes_ kissing Arin. Arin tastes weirdly sugary-sweet, artificially so, and Dan has to think just a little bit before he realizes it's probably because of the bag of Skittles the two had shared before they actually started studying. It's an electrifying, dizzying taste, one that Dan suddenly can't get enough of.

Dan, regrettably, is the one to break the kiss, pulling back only slightly to pant softly. His face is still hovering dangerously close to Arin's, Arin's breath warm on Dan's face as he also catches his own breath. Arin's cheeks are flushed a pretty, rosy shade, and Dan feels like he might finally understand why Arin is so fond of the color pink.

He wants to kiss Arin again. He really, truly does. But he _doesn't_. He hates how affected he is over this, he's supposed to be the expert here, the one teaching Arin what to do in this kind of situation, but he's at a loss for words just as much as Arin is. He's burning with a feeling, a hot, searing, unbearably _intense_ feeling that he isn't quite sure he's ever experienced before, definitely not while kissing his past girlfriends. It's new, and scary, and Dan doesn't know what to do with it now.

"C-can we...do that again?" Arin's voice is breathless, quiet, and it sounds just as unsure and confused as Dan feels inside.

"I...yeah, okay," Dan somehow manages to say, at least attempting to regain his composure, if only to save face. He isn't sure why he feels the need to do so, it's clear he isn't alone in this, but he does it anyway.

This time it's Arin himself who starts to lean forward with the clear intent to kiss Dan again, his eyes already fluttering shut, and Dan's start to slide shut as well. Arin's lips are so close, he can feel the warm puffs of air coming from them, and Dan's heart is pounding so hard he can hear it, the sound of blood rushing in his ears deafening, and—

"Arin, Danny!" The door to his room slams open then, completely shattering the moment Arin and Dan were having, and Dan isn't sure his eyes have ever shot open so fast. Dan and Arin jump away from each other as if they'd been burned, Dan landing hard on a book and some stray papers, but Arin just straight up falls backwards off of the bed, landing square on his ass. He hisses; it was a hard fall, after all, and Dan would probably be laughing at how funny it looked if his heart wasn't beating so fast and he wasn't so startled himself.

"Uh, Arin's mom is here to pick him up," Dana, who's lingering awkwardly in the doorway, says, looking between Dan and Arin confusedly as if trying to figure out what the hell had just happened.

"Oh," Arin breathes out, moving fast as he grabs his bag and starts mindlessly stuffing his things inside. Dan gets up and starts putting his own stuff away, mostly because he doesn't want to just sit and watch Arin in silence. Once Arin's all packed up and his bag is slung over his shoulder, his gaze settles back on Dan, and Dan can see how badly Arin wants to say something. Hell, Dan's got a few words for him as well, but the words aren't spoken, left lingering in the air between them. Dan's sister is right there, and neither Arin nor Dan are going to dare say anything about what they just did, especially when they don't even know what the fuck they just did themselves.

Practice. That's what it had been. That way of thinking completely flew out the window the second their lips actually touched, Dan knows that, and he's pretty certain Arin does too. In a perfect world, where it actually was just practice and nothing else, the two would've parted and probably laughed, making jokes about the whole thing and how gay it was. Dan would've ripped on Arin for not knowing what he was doing, and everything would've been fine and dandy. But, that didn't happen. This _wasn't_ a perfect world. It was much more complicated than that.

"I...guess I'll see you in class tomorrow, Dan," Arin states simply, strained and forced and clearly the last thing Arin actually wants to say to him.

"Y-Yeah. See you," Dan says with a nod, looking straight into Arin's eyes, and they hold the eye contact for just a little too long before Arin turns around and starts to leave the room, muttering a quick and awkward goodbye to Dana as he moves past her before he's out of Dan's sight.

The room is silent, Dana still at the door and Dan standing in front of his bed.

"Did I...interrupt something?" Dana isn't teasing him, she's legitimately asking, and Dan isn't sure how to respond. " _Yes, you did_ " would be the most honest answer but would lead to more questions, and " _no, you didn't_ " would be an outright lie. Dan doesn't like lying. He never has, and he doubts he ever will.

"...No," Dan finally answers as he runs a hand through his hair, somehow managing to make it even messier as he looks down. "It's fine, you didn't." He waves her off, and she just looks at him for a moment, gaze burning into him as if she could see right through him, but she doesn't say another word, leaving the room and closing the door behind her.

Dan's alone now, alone with his confused thoughts, unsure how to feel about the kiss or Arin or _anything_ anymore, and he throws himself back onto his bed, staring blankly at the ceiling. He sighs at the way his lips still feel warm and tingly, as if he can still feel the light pressure of Arin on them.

Dan may not know what to think or how to feel, but there _is_ one thing he knows for sure.

Dan knows that he is absolutely, positively _fucked_ , plain and simple. And honestly, right now that's all he needs to know.


	2. The Day After

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Arin and Dan are both a mess the day after kissing, and friends are helpful. Sort of.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Fun Fact: Writing this was a weirdly interesting experience because I had a playlist which is a mixture of Skyhill and NSP playing in the background, so one second I'd have a really serious and meaningful song like Hands on the Water playing and inspiring me to get serious, and then the next I'm hearing a grown ass man (that I'm _writing_ about) educate me on the different types of boners that exist. I'm surprised I managed to stay on track as much as I did.
> 
> Funner Fact: I'm very tired.

Dan isn't sure what the fuck is going on, but he isn't sure that he cares.

He's sitting on his couch, and Arin's in his lap, leaning over him and blocking the light so his features are cast in a shadow, hair hanging down and curtaining his face, and Dan would be lying if he said it wasn't one of the prettiest things he's seen. He's breathless, frozen in place as he watches, wide eyed as his best friend's lips tug upward in a smile, crooked and devious, and that makes his body ache in more ways than one.

It's weird how normal it feels, how comfortable it feels, as if this was just a casual thing that happens between them. Arin doesn't seem weird about it at all. In fact, Arin looks like he was meant to be there, sitting in Dan's lap and looking at Dan as if he's the only thing in the world that matters to him. Dan's embarrassed to admit how that thought makes his heart flutter in his chest, but it does, he can't deny it.

Arin shifts slightly, and a thick blond lock falls into his face, obstructing Dan's perfect view. Dan finally moves, hand extending to tuck the lock and a few other brown ones behind his ear. The motion is weirdly tender, soft, and it's got some emotion behind it that Dan himself can't even begin to comprehend.

"Kiss me," Arin says breathily, voice soft and sweet, and it's got a certain whine to it that makes it sound almost like he's begging. "Dan, you need to kiss me."

Dan doesn't speak, he's not sure he can or even wants to try to make his voice work. He just cups Arin's cheek gently, thumb stroking the soft skin, touching Arin cautiously as if he were made of glass, as if he would shatter in Dan's grasp if Dan was too rough, because that's what it feels like. Dan feels like he's on an edge, in danger of falling whether he likes it or not, and all of this, everything will fall apart if he isn't careful enough.

He leans up, meeting Arin halfway, and they kiss for the second time. It's as amazing as the first, though Arin isn't fumbling as much as before. It's much smoother, the drag of their lips deliciously perfect, but Dan knows that even if Arin had no clue what he was doing it would still feel the same. The fact that he's kissing Arin is enough. More than enough, even.

He feels Arin shiver, sighing against his mouth as his hands bury in Dan's hair, and something in Dan snaps. He can't take it anymore. He doesn't care if he's going to fall into something he can't handle. He's willing to take the risk. He needs _more_. More of Arin. More of _this_.

Dan bites down on Arin's bottom lip, a little harder than he really means to, teasing the pink and worried skin between his teeth as he savors the gasp it coaxes out of Arin. He pushes his tongue past Arin's bruised lips, licking hotly into Arin's mouth as his tongue explores, and everything is suddenly hot and wet and absolutely intoxicating. Arin flat out moans, voice shaky as his grip tightens in Dan's curls.

Dan feels Arin grind down against him and it's his turn to gasp into the kiss, and he feels the slight upturn of Arin's lips against his. Cocky asshole. Fine, then. Two can play at that game.

He moves his hands to Arin's hips for purchase as he grinds his own hips up harshly, and now they're both moving, desperate for any kind of friction they can manage to get. Each press of their hips is fuel to the fire deep in Dan's core, until it's a smoldering inferno that he isn't sure he'll ever be able to extinguish, to satisfy completely.

Arin breaks the kiss, pulling away to look at Dan, and his pupils are more blown than Dan has ever seen in his life. His eyes are dark with lust, and Dan wants to memorize the way he looks, commit it to his memory, because it's just so _good_.

Arin starts to open his mouth, he's going to say something, and Dan isn't sure if he should be excited or worried at the words that are going to be said.

"Dan, I—"

_Beep_.

The phone alarm Dan had set to wake him up for school goes off loudly, and he shoots up in bed, eyes wide as he gasps. He doesn't move for a few moments, heart thumping against his rib cage. He's trying to figure out what the fuck just happened.

A few seconds pass of Dan not moving, mind racing until he finally can't take the sound of the alarm anymore, leaning over to where his phone is charging to shut the damn thing off.

He should be able to think in peace now, the room is completely silent, but it's not like the quiet makes it any better, his insistent, chattering thoughts now taking up the empty space.

Did he just have a fantasy about Arin?

Does that count as a fantasy? Fantasies are when you imagine something that you want to happen, weren't they? Did that mean that he wanted that to happen? For him and Arin to kiss again (well, make out, if he was being honest) and...maybe do other stuff?

Ugh. He's been up for barely five minutes and he already can't fucking relax. His head is pounding, it's not like he managed to get much sleep as it is. Arin was occupying his mind before he fell asleep, and it seems that he somehow managed to be there even _while_  Dan was sleeping. And, once _again_  as he woke up. As much as he truly loved Arin, Arin needed to get the fuck out of his mind for five seconds. At least he does if Dan ever plans on regaining any semblance of the sanity that he had before all this shit started.

Wait... _loved_? Dan's mind rewinds quickly, taking a few steps back as he tries to figure out what the fuck just happened in his thoughts. Does he _love_  Arin? Did he mean love in a platonic way, or romantic? What even are his feelings anymore?

...He still doesn't know the answer to any of those questions, and it absolutely _blows_.

Dan moves to get up, kicking the blanket that was covering him during his rest off, and that's when he realizes that he's got a pretty extreme case of morning wood.

_You've got to be fucking kidding me_. His mind is seething, and for the first time in the past few hours he's completely content with something he thinks.

Dan glances at his phone where it's sitting on the nightstand next to his bed, gaze burning into it as he gets an idea. He snatches it up quickly, unlocking his phone and immediately going into his contacts. He has to vent. He has to tell _someone_  about this, about what happened last night, about the way he's feeling. Dan has never been the best at keeping things bottled up, and this is no exception.

Without even noticing, he's made his way onto Arin's contact page, and is a second away from pressing the "Call" button, finger hovering dangerously close to the screen, before he stops dead in his tracks. Yeah, okay.  _Great_  idea. Call Arin to vent about Arin. Fucking flawless logic there, Avidan.

He scowls at his own stupidity. Dan wants to blame it on the fact that it's one of the first names on the list, since Arin starts with an 'A', but deep down he knows that isn't it. He also can't exactly  _call_  this stupidity, it's just evidence of how much he actually depends on Arin, how natural it is to go to him when he's freaking out about something, _anything_.

Dan starts scrolling through his contacts rapidly, searching for another person he knew well enough to talk to about this. He stops when he gets to Barry. Alphabetically, Barry's the next person close enough to him that he'd want to talk to, but once again, that isn't the only reason. Barry was always a great friend to Dan, one of his best friends by far. He was pretty dependable when it came to advice, and Dan was ninety-nine percent sure Barry wouldn't laugh at him over something like this.

Mr. Kramer it is, then.

Dan decides against calling, he isn't even sure if Barry's awake yet (he notices then that waking Arin up hadn't even crossed his mind as something to be concerned about when he was about to call him for help, was that saying something?), so he just sends him a text.

 

**Danny: Hey dude, uh I'm kind of freaking out right now, could maybe use some advice? Idk**

 

He mentally hits himself for how stupid and desperate the text sounds, but he kind of actually _is_  stupid and desperate, so it shouldn't be a problem.

After the text is sent he finally gets out of bed, trudging tiredly to the bathroom to take a shower and deal with his...ahem, _issue_.

He tells himself he won't think about Arin during it, but even he knows that's probably a lie.

A few minutes later, when the water is running hot and Dan's about halfway through his shower, his phone buzzes, still on his bed where he left it.

 

**Barry: What's up, Dan? Did something happen?**

 

\--

 

"You and Dan did _what..._?!" Ross practically screeches, his accent slipping through more so than usual as he moves away from his open locker to gape at Arin, and Arin actually claps a hand over the smaller boy's mouth because that was just way too loud, even for Ross. He hasn't even been in school for ten minutes, and he's already regretting his life decisions.

A few people rummaging through their own nearby lockers shoot a glance at Ross, but quickly move on with whatever they were doing, not caring enough to actually question him.

Ross is always loud. It's not like that part is anything to be concerned about.

"Tell the whole fucking school, why don't you," Arin hisses under his breath.

Why did he tell Ross again, of all people? _Ross_? Ross fucking O'Donovan, _really_?

Even his own god damned judgement is against this decision of his. Don't get him wrong, Ross is awesome. Arin's known Ross for most of his life, and even though he's a little shit that gets under his (and everyone else's) skin a lot, he cares about him. He's an awesome friend that shares his love for art and animation, and without Ross his life would probably be a lot worse.

Even with all of this in mind,  _Ross_? No offense to Ross, but there were probably at least ten different people Arin should've went to instead of Ross.

You can't really blame him for telling the first friend he talks to that day, though. Arin has been an absolute wreck since him and Dan kissed. He might've been the one to basically cause it, and, yeah, he actually _did_ want to learn how to kiss, that was the legitimate reason, but he wasn't anywhere near close to being prepared to actually kiss Dan.

Well, Arin would be lying if part of his brain wasn't at least a little curious to know what kissing Dan would be like, the boy did call himself _Danny Sexbang_ for fuck's sake, albeit jokingly. Having a nickname like that has _got_ to spark some sort of curiosity, right? Arin saw his opportunity and took it. He killed two birds with one stone, was that really all that bad?

But now that he did, just thinking about the kiss makes his heart pound way too fast, his mouth dry and his palms sweaty, and _fucking_ hell he sounds (and feels) like one of those stupid freshman girls he sometimes overhears in the hallway when he's walking to class with Dan on the first floor. The ones that Dan always seems completely oblivious about, annoyingly enough, and the ones that usually get on Arin's nerves for some reason he just didn't know.

Well, shit, he might know the reason now.

However, he can't change the fact that he did, in fact, go to Ross, so he guesses he'll just have to shut up and deal with it. It's better than telling no one and letting this boil and simmer inside of him until it somehow pours over and turns ugly. He would've loved to go to Dan, but he didn't, for obvious reasons.

A noise of surprise and disgust is pulled from Arin's throat as he feels something hot and wet slide against his palm. He jerks his hand away from Ross' face, grimacing slightly at how his skin is now shiny with saliva, and Ross is just smirking like the sadistic, snarky asshole he usually is.

"Did you really just...?" Arin asks, not even bothering to finish his sentence as he wipes his hand off on his jeans.

"To be fair, it's your own fault. Don't space out when you're covering someone else's mouth, dickhead," Ross says with a shrug. "Anyway, tell me more about how you and Dan totally made out yesterday. It's important information."

"We didn't make out," Arin argues, pointing a finger at Ross before pausing.  _Wait a god damn minute_. Arin's mind screeches to a halt, a wave of realization passing over him, and he absolutely deflates, hand helplessly falling back to hang at his side. "...Did we?"

Ross is smirking once again, and Arin hates it. "I don't know, did you?"

"Ross... _Ross_ ," Arin says, grabbing Ross by the shoulders, shaking him. "Ross, tell me, what's the difference between just kissing and making out?"

"You...really don't know? Seriously? Why didn't you ask Danny?" Ross raises an eyebrow.

"Ross, enough bullshit, I'm serious—"

"Making out lasts longer, and it's usually when there's tongue involved," Ross explains.

"Well, we kissed for a bit," Ross waggles his eyebrows as Arin says this, and Arin rolls his eyes. "But _was_  there tongue? Shit..."

"You don't know?"

"No, I...listen, Ross, when I try to think about it my chest gets all weird. All I really know is I kissed Dan and it was fucking awesome." Arin's buzzing where he's standing, full of nervous energy. "I'm starting to regret even telling you this; I should've went to Suzy."

"Okay, fine. Arin, listen," Ross says, closing his locker as he looks over at Arin again. This time, his expression isn't teasing at all. He's serious. "I'm gonna say this now. You've got it bad, dude."

"Got what bad? What the hell are you even talking about, Ross?"

Ross sighs, crossing his arms as he leans on his now closed locker. "Arin. You and Dan have always wanted to bone each other, but neither of you want to admit it. That's what's happening here. That's what's always been happening here."

"What? I mean, we joke about it a lot, sure, but...he's my best friend," The words pour out of Arin without much thought. "What about you and fucking Barry?! You dicks have wanted each other since you were like, _eleven_ , dude! Maybe you should go ahead and make that magic happen, huh?"

Ross sputters, face reddening slightly, but he's quick to focus on Arin. "Dude, you didn't even deny it that time. Like, at all," Ross tells him, and holy fuck, he's right, Arin _didn't_. "Anyway, me and B are a totally different story. You and Danny though...just think about it, at least."

The bell rings before Arin can respond. Ross looks up as it does, frowning.

"Well, I have to go to English. Tell me how that Math test goes, alright? I have to take it after lunch."

He freezes as Ross walks away. Oh, shit. The test. Arin had been so occupied with these thoughts about Dan that he'd completely forgotten the reason he was even over at Dan's house in the first place.

Arin barely remembers anything he'd studied yesterday. He is so screwed.

He hopes Dan at least remembers more than him. He didn't really care if he failed, honestly, but he definitely cared if Dan did. That's what's on his mind as he makes his way to his Math class, head hanging low as he bites his lip nervously.


	3. Tests and Almost Talks

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Tests suck, friends are still helpful, and kisses are just damn great.

Dan is absolutely lost when the dreaded test is put in front of him. One of his hands is in his hair almost immediately, ruffling and tangling in the mess, a nervous habit that Dan can never seem to break out of. 

Dan's naturally bad at math as it is, and on top of that he's stressed the fuck out. Fuck math, man. Fuck Arin and his stupidly sweet, soft, kissable lips. Fuck his mind for just thinking that, Jesus Christ he can't even _think_ in peace, can he? Just fuck _everything_.

He starts at least trying to answer the questions on the paper, anything to keep from spiraling out of control at this point, but that lasts about a solid minute before his eyes glance up from the paper, roaming around the room.

His eyes land on someone sitting in the front row, observing a head of long, brown hair with a blond streak Dan can't see from this angle but _knows_ is there, and god damn it, Arin's pencil is scratching rapidly across his paper, as if he knows what he's doing. Dan feels like the action alone is somehow mocking him, was Arin not bothered by this whole thing at all? Was Dan just being dramatic as fuck?

Then again, Arin was usually the one better at math out of the two. Maybe he just knows what he's doing because of that. Or maybe he's just writing bullshit, but doing so in a way that makes it look like he actually knows what he's doing. If that's the case, then damn, is it working.

Arin must feel the gaze burning into his back because he turns around, looking right back at Dan as if he somehow knew it was Dan looking. Arin looks tired, and if Dan is the reason for that, he isn't sure if he should feel sorry or proud.

Probably sorry. Dan also hates the way it makes him kind of want to just cuddle Arin and kiss him again. Taking a nap with Arin would be heaven right now.

Not because it would be with Arin. Because he's just as tired.

...Oh, for fuck's sake, who is he even kidding anymore? _Yes_ , because it would be with Arin. But sleep is cool, too.

The gaze is once again held for longer than it should've been, that seems to be a common occurrence between these two now. Arin's eyes are warm, longing, and they look like they're searching for something in Dan, eyes darting around rapidly even though his head is still, and Dan isn't sure what he's looking for. And even though he has no way of knowing for sure, something tells Dan his own expression isn't much different from Arin's.

The sound of someone clearing their throat loudly shatters the tension between the two, the shared gaze breaking as Dan turns to find the source of the sound. It's his teacher, she's glaring between him and Arin, she must've noticed the two staring at each other. Dan hopes that she doesn't think they're cheating. That is like the last thing they were actually fucking doing.

Dan is quick to look back down and focus on his paper. If he's going to fail this test, it's going to be with dignity, not because he got his test taken away because him and Arin got into an emotionally intense staring contest.

Even as he says this, he's pretty sure he's lost most, if not all of his dignity already. He'd probably lost the last of it this morning, while in the shower, because even though he willed himself to not think about Arin, he did.

He's only now starting to realize that his friend is actually rather aesthetically pleasing. He never really thought about Arin in that way before the kiss but now that he's started to, he can't _stop_ , and he isn't sure if he likes it or not. Honestly, he's starting to feel frustrated about this whole thing.

As he starts working on the test again, all he's really thinking about is Arin, and how fucking badly he has to talk to him about yesterday.

 

\--

 

Dan drags himself into the cafeteria with a heavy sigh. A few more classes have passed, and he somehow still hasn't gotten a chance to actually speak to Arin. He even _shared_ some of those classes with Arin, but it just didn't happen. What did happen was a few small glances were shared between the two. Dan was about five times more frustrated than he was before, and maybe ten times more determined to find Arin and talk this shit out already.

It doesn't take long for his eyes to land on the table him and his friends usually sit at. Barry, Ross, Holly, and Suzy are already there, and his heart sinks when he notices the absence of Arin. Was Arin avoiding him now? Okay, what the actual _fuck_ , Hanson? That's the exact opposite of what needs to happen right now. They need to _talk_ , god damn it, to discuss this and figure out what the hell is going on between them, and what to do now, because it's very clear that  _something_ is happening, whether they like it or not.

"Oh, hi Danny," Ross' voice snaps him out of his thoughts once he finally reaches the group. He swears the Australian looks more...smug than usual, as if he's so damn happy with himself, but Dan doesn't know why so he just chalks it up to Ross being Ross. He had other things to worry about besides Ross.

"Where's Arin?" His voice is strained as he asks the question, and Barry and Ross share a side glance before looking up at him.

"He stood a little late in Art to finish something he was drawing," Ross answers him. "I doubt he'll be gone for the entire period."

So maybe he wasn't avoiding him. Or was that just a ploy? Dan holds on to the small hope that the not the latter as he sits down across from Barry. Ross, who's next to Barry, turns and starts talking to Holly about something Dan doesn't catch, and Barry is just sort of looking at Dan, sandwich in hand even though he'd stopped eating the second Dan walked into the room.

"Did you talk to him yet?" Barry asks, and Dan shakes his head. However, he can't help but glance pointedly at Ross, jerking his head in his direction. Holly's showing Ross a quite detailed and beautiful sketch of one of her birds she must've done recently in her book, and Ross is smiling and nodding, face red and blue eyes shining as he shows her his own drawing he did of his cat in his sketchbook.

There's a split second where Dan thinks he sees Barry frown as he follows Dan's gaze, eyebrows furrowing, but it's gone just as quickly as it had come, and Barry's face is blank. "He's busy, I doubt he's actually listening to what we're saying. Plus, I doubt he actually cares about the fact that you and Arin kissed."

"Barry, don't just _say_ it like that!" Dan blurts out speedily, and Barry's eyebrows raise.

"Why not? Are you ashamed or something?"

Dan shakes his head vigorously, lifting both hands defensively. "N-no, no! Of fucking course I'm not! That's not— fucking shit Bear that's not the issue here!"

"Then what _is_ the issue, Dan?" Barry's elbow is propped up on the table, head leaning on his hand as he looks directly at Dan, waiting for his response.

"I..." Dan blinks, his hands falling to plop on the table, any trace of anger or annoyance leaving him as he stares blankly at the wood. "I...I don't know, dude. I'm confused as fuck. I just want to talk to Arin, man."

"What exactly are you gonna tell him?"

Dan's eyes shift to the wall sheepishly. "I...don't know? I hadn't really thought that far, to be completely honest."

" _Dan—_ " Barry says his name disapprovingly, most likely about to scold him, but Dan doesn't let him finish his thought.

"Okay, I'm probably going to ask him how he feels about the kiss. And how he feels about me. And how I feel about him."

"Wait, what? You're going to ask Arin how _you_ feel?"

Dan pauses, realizing the slip-up in his words. "...Oh. Oh, no, that was fucking stupid of me to say. That was more of me thinking out loud, haha," Dan laughs nervously as he rubs the back of his neck, the noise more tense than he means it to be. "And I kinda want to know how the fuck he managed to answer all the questions on the test, because fuck, I could barely think straight."

"OH!" Danny and Barry both turn to face Ross, who had shouted suddenly. "...Shit. Dan, you have math with Arin, so you took the test, right? How was it?"

Dan can't tell if Ross just has impeccable timing, or if he was eavesdropping the whole time like Dan had feared. However, Ross is looking at him sincerely, not a hint of teasing or ulterior motive visible, so once again he lets Ross off the hook without questioning it.

However, he does fix Ross with a harsh glare as his answer, silently telling him he didn't want to talk about it, and Ross just raises his eyebrows. "Seriously, it was that bad? Fuck. Barry, can I borrow your notes?"

"Why can't you use your own notes?" Barry questions him, and Ross scoffs.

" _What_ notes?!" He exclaims, throwing his hands in the air with wide eyes.

Barry rolls his eyes, of course Ross hadn't actually taken notes the one time he should've, he was probably busy doodling the whole time. Regardless, Barry still bends over to shuffle through his bag, pulling his notebook for the class out. Ross' eyes light up, and he snatches the notebook out of Barry's hands immediately.

"B, I fucking _love_ you, you're the best!" Ross says, voice bursting with gratitude as he smiles warmly at Barry.

This time, Dan is absolutely fucking certain he sees Barry's cheeks tinge red, nodding as his gaze doesn't quite meet Ross', and Dan's lips curl into a smirk. Dan opens his mouth to comment, and—

"Oh, hey guys."

All the air escapes his lungs in a sharp hiss, not unlike that of a deflating balloon as he hears the voice he's been craving to hear this entire time. He looks up swiftly, Arin's standing at the end of the table, bookbag hanging off of one shoulder and sketchbook in hand, and man does he look great. Well, he looks the same as usual. But that doesn't mean he doesn't look great.

He shrugs his bag off, letting it fall to the ground. He's about to sit in his usual spot between Dan and Suzy, making the group even with three sitting on each side of the table as it normally was, but before he can Dan jolts up, hands slamming loudly against the table, and all five pairs of eyes are on him.

"...Dan?" Arin says, voice laced with concern, and damn it even just hearing him say his name like that is making Dan feel feelings. What feelings? Dan's asking himself the same exact question.

Dan turns to Arin, expression stern and serious, and he can see the way Arin's eyes widen. Before Dan can really figure out what's happening or what he's doing, his hand is around Arin's wrist, dragging him away from the table and towards the double doors of the cafeteria. He could hear Holly and Suzy questioning what had just happened, but their voices and the rest of the noise of the room is lost in the ringing in Dan's ears.

"Dan? Where are we even going?" Arin just sounds curious, not necessarily alarmed, and Dan doesn't trust his voice enough to verbally answer, not yet, so he just keeps moving.

He stops once they're in an empty staircase, letting Arin go, and Arin's face twists in discomfort as he rubs at his wrist. Dan looks at him apologetically, he didn't mean to grip so hard but _fuck_ is he determined. He's running on adrenaline, blood pumping, and considering the situation, how close in proximity he actually is to Arin, that probably isn't the best condition to be in right now.

"Okay, dude, what the fuck was that ab—"

Arin's cut off mid sentence as Dan steps forward suddenly, crashing their lips together and kissing hard as he presses Arin up against the wall.

Yeah. This is exactly why that isn't the best condition to be in right now.

Arin's eyes shoot open in surprise, though he doesn't even attempt to push Dan away, and Dan feels him kissing back quickly. Arin wanted this, too. Good to know.

This kiss is much different from the first one, which was soft and gentle, much more cautious since it was more of an experiment than anything. This one is intense, heated, _desperate_ , both of them clearly wanting, no, craving the other's touch, and Dan is burning, just like in his dream. He feels like his skin is on fire, each drag of their lips just making him burn hotter, and damn, it's absolutely breathtaking, both literally and figuratively.

Dan feels a wetness swipe at his bottom lip, it's Arin's tongue, he's trying to deepen the kiss, and Dan can't help but grin slightly into the kiss. Someone's a fast learner.

Their tongues slide together, wet and sinful, and Dan realizes with some surprise that if someone were to walk in on them doing this at that very moment—they were just in a staircase after all, it was more than possible—he probably wouldn't even care.

Dan steps back, a string of saliva still connecting the pairs of lips as they break apart, and he's quick to wipe his mouth. That may have been a brief kiss, but that didn't change the impact it had or the way it felt. Arin's just looking back at him, dazed and flustered, still leaning against the wall with red, shiny lips, and Dan adores that look on Arin just a little too much.

"...Okay...now that that's out of my system...we really have to talk."

**Author's Note:**

> Thanks for reading, I hope you enjoyed this!
> 
> My [tumblr](http://grouchycouchy.tumblr.com) if you want to ask me something or leave me a prompt, or anything really.


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